EDC 102H F12 Context Reports
Community Data Worksheet - Census Data

Community: Cumberland,RI

Zip Code:02864

Authors:Alexa Levesque

Use the data tables below to accumulate data from reliable sources about a particular geographical region of Rhode Island. After you have assembled this information, turn it into knowledge by synthesizing a series of sensible paragraphs.

I. Community Data Collection

A. Income Poverty Data

Year data collected:

To collect data on the state of Rhode Island:

1. Go to American Factfinder page on the US Census Bureau website
2. Select Rhode Island from the drop-down menu (do not type into the search field)
3. Collect data from the Economic Characteristics section
4. Use other sections to collect additional data as needed

To collect data on your community:

1. Return to the American Factfinder
2. Type the name of your community in the “city/town, county, or zip” box
3. Follow instructions 3 and 4 above

	Community (02864)	Rhode Island	United States
Median household income	$50,502	$53,636	$51,425
Median family income	$61,455	$69,604	$62,363
Per capita income	$26,708	$29,277	$26.059
Families below poverty level	11.7%	10.6%	9.9%
Individuals below poverty level	27.0%	25.3%	13.5%

The families who live in the 02864 zip code in the town of Cumberland, Rhode Island seem to fit the overall profile of the entire state. For most of the family indicators such as median household income ($50,502), is very close to the median of the entire state ($53,636), and only slightly lower than the average of the nation ($51,425). It does have a higher percentage of families below the poverty line (11.7%) than the state (10.6%) and the nation ( 9.9%). Since this town seems to match the dynamics of the rest of the it is safe to say that the socioeconomic status of Cumberland is average in comparison to the rest of the country. With these statistics for median income, it is safe to say that most households either have one average-earning income, or two low-earning incomes, in the households. This, according to the average incomes of both Rhode Island and the country as a whole, is also the norm and the state and national levels.

B. Race and Ethnicity Data

Year data collected:

To collect data on the state of Rhode Island:

1. Use the American Factfinder page to locate the Fact Sheet or either your zip code or the state of Rhode Island
2. Collect data from the ACS Demographic Estimates section
3. Use other sections to collect additional data as needed

	Community	Rhode Island	US
White	31,016	930,287	230,838,975
Black/African Americans	420	67,617	39,189,528
Asian	1,031	29,366	15,020,419
Hispanic	768	127,849	51,939,916
American Indian or Alaska native	25	6,801	2,547,006
Two or more races	511	22,325	6,441,467

In Cumberland, the overwhelming majority of the citizens are white (30,016) followed by the next largest race, Asian (1,031). Every other race is a vast minority in the town with only 420 African Americans and 768 Hispanic citizens. With relatively low minority numbers in the town, this means that there is probably also a relatively low number of immigrants in the town and therefore also less of a need for English Language Learners classes and programs in the schools. These racial percentages are also pretty far off from those of Rhode Island and the rest of the nation which both have much higher percentages of Black and Latino residents.

II. Narrative Description of Community

Use the data you collected above to develop a series of paragraphs that describe your community (zip code) and draw comparisons with the rest of the state and / or district. Here is an example of how to do this.

In Cumberland, the household income ($50,502) is lower than the average Rhode Island income ($53,636). The community as a whole is also has a much higher individual rate of poverty (27%) than Rhode Island (25.3%) which is considerably higher than the national average, (13.5%). The predominant race is white, with all other races in the vast majority throughout the town. The next largest race is Asian, followed by Hispanic and then mix-raced individuals.
















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